Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-03-10


From tho Baltimore san.
The last number OF Bradstreet's presents
an interesting record Of the labor movement
In this country, with special reference to
the number, extent and results Of the strikes
Of the first two months OF lss7. The strikes
and Riots OF August, Isl, which had con.
spicuous results ct Pittsburg, baltimore
and other places, antedated the period of
organized labor, and therefore lack the sig.
nifcance OF the later agitation. The strike
Of ls'I failed OF Its object The same NAV be
ssio, Win some Qualifications, OF the Mis-.
ployes' strike of March, lss6 the strikes
which conferred at Chicago during NAV, 1855,
ior iewer hours OF work daily; the ugsles
resulting nom the Troy laundry and Chicago
ehort-hour lockouts OF October and Noven,.
"sympathetic" strikes Of January and Feb.
fuary, 1857. The short-hour strikes OF Nav
1856, TO secure working day OF eight In.
stesd OF ten hours, involved 2i6, COO strikers,
~ per cent. OF whom succeeded In gaining
concessions The contest WA renewed, how.
ever, IN the November lockout at Chicago,
involving 2u,oOO men, and the employees,
Tor the most part lost what they had
gained SIX months before. With respect
20 the eight-hour movement as a whole,
Bradstreets observes that "before II was eli
undef way nine hours was substituted for
ten hours" with the result that the object OF
the movement was fully gained only in ex.
ceptional csses In January, lSs7, there we're
Y. etfikes aud lockouts, involving 1S, 800
employees, - compared with l9 strikes and
41,2oO employees In January, 1886 or the
January strikes IS wer9 ended py March l,
ana OF the s. IS many ss 81. Involving Is, l72
emPioyes, were successful. As January
strikes OF q, 800 employees are ended, 1t is evi.
Gent that about 80 per cent of the employees
nave carried their point The totals OF fail
nres are ., strikes in volvipg Is. l27 strikers
IN January, lss6, strikes, with % 800 strikers,
succeeded, while 10 Strikes with q, ,aCO
strikers failed. In February Of the present
year there were - strikes, involving 10000
employ g, large increase on February lss6
wncn mere were but strikes and 10 100
strikers. OF the "a February strikes 81, in.
volving 10000 strikers, were ended At the
close OF the mouth, l. having succeeded,
while ~, or nearly 50 per cent. had failed
Inere Is tendency, 1t appears, toward an
increase OF strikes, while the number of
successes Is about stationary. Looking at
totals, the number OF strikers in Janusr
sno fepruary, lSs', was 30 800, OF which
number =, 52S succeeded, as ~ ainstl $3.50
strikers in the saiGs months OF lss6 when
So,ouo succeeded. A feature Of the
strikes thus far during ISL, saws Brad.
streets Is the increase OF sym psthetic''
etrlkes-strikes on the part OF empioyss not
directly Interested 10 disputes in order to force
concessions, on the principle that 'the in
Jury OF one Is the concern OF all" No fewer
snan 4LVVU employees, IL Ii stated, struck in
support OF tue movement OF the New Jersey
coaiheavers and Old Dominion Steamship
company 'longshoremen, in which but 4, 600
employees were directly concerned. Brad.
M s..eeu conclusions upon its facts are not OF
an assuring character from the point OF view
OF organized labor, but 1t is, nevertheless,
clear from the statistics presented that,
Whether the strikes Of the las, few months
succeed or iail, they exhibit evidences OF in.
creasing discipline and better concerted action
ON The part OF organized labor.